Adsorption Chromatography of Biopolymers on Porous Glass

Preparative protein purification on underivatized silica

This article describes the use of underivatized silica gel as a preparative stationary phase for process purification of proteins. Although silica has been frequently used as a stationary phase backbone matrix, direct adsorption of proteins on underivatized silica has not been widely exploited for industrial applications. In this study an effort was made to fundamentally understand the interaction mechanisms between a protein and silica surface by using several proteins with a wide range of isoelectric points (pIs) and surface hydrophobicity. Interactions in silica were found to be largely dominated by a combination of ionic and hydrophobic forces. Accordingly, a predictive model was derived for describing linear retention of proteins on silica. Finally, a case study is described investigating the role of silica in an industrial purification process. It was found that the integration of the two modes of interaction confers silica with a unique selectivity that can be very effectively utilized in downstream bioprocessing.

Purification of insulin-like growth factor-I and related proteins using underivatized silica

Adsorption chromatography using underivatized porous glass can be an effective capture step for the purification of recombinant proteins. Classical desorption techniques using chaotropic agents or harsh chemical solvents often result in elution of inactive material and may not be economical at the process scale. More recently, elution schemes have used tetramethylammonium chloride (TMAC) to obtain biologically active material. A TMAC elution was shown to be effective in the initial purification steps for the recovery of recombinant human insulin-like growth factor-I (rhIGF-I) from an Escherichia coli fermentation broth. However, TMAC also elutes other, more hydrophobic, proteins that are difficult to remove in subsequent purification steps. This paper describes the capture of IGF-I from a crude fermentation broth and a more specific elution using a combination of ethanol and NaCl rather than TMAC. This elution also can be used with other proteins including an IGF-I binding protein (BP3) expressed in mammalian cell culture.

Neutron reflection study of bovine beta-casein adsorbed on OTS self-assembled monolayers

Specular neutron reflection has been used to determine the structure and composition of bovine beta-casein adsorbed on a solid surface from an aqueous phosphate-buffered solution at pH 7. The protein was adsorbed on a hydrophobic monolayer self-assembled from deuterated octadecyltrichlorosilane solution on a silicon (111) surface. A two-layer structure formed consisting of one dense layer of thickness 23 +/- 1 angstroms and a surface coverage of 1.9 milligrams per square meter adjacent to the surface and an external layer protruding into the solution of thickness 35 +/- 1 angstroms and 12 percent protein volume fraction. The structure of the (beta-casein) layer is explained in terms of the charge distribution in the protein.

Modification of glass channel walls for separation of biological particles by gravitational field-flow fractionation

In the gravitational field-flow fractionation of complex samples, various interaction and adsorption phenomena can occur in separation channels that influence fractionation and complicate the explanation of resulting fractograms. To overcome these problems, the glass surface was modified to create charge-free, non-adsorbing hydrophilic media for the mild treatment of hydrophilic biological particles. The modification was carried out in two steps: (1) by a simple lacquering of the glass surface with polystyrene diluted in toluene and (2) subsequent adsorption of a detergent layer on polystyrene. Essential suppression of ionic interactions between soluble low-molecular-mass compounds and the channel wall and decreased adsorption effects were demonstrated in separations of blood samples by gravitational field-flow fractionation.

Self-assembled organic monolayers: model systems for studying adsorption of proteins at surfaces

Self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of omega-functionalized long-chain alkanethiolates on gold films are excellent model systems with which to study the interactions of proteins with organic surfaces. Monolayers containing mixtures of hydrophobic (methyl-terminated) and hydrophilic [hydroxyl-, maltose-, and hexa(ethylene glycol)-terminated] alkanethiols can be tailored to select specific degrees of adsorption: the amount of protein adsorbed varies monotonically with the composition of the monolayer. The hexa(ethylene glycol)-terminated SAMs are the most effective in resisting protein adsorption. The ability to create interfaces with similar structures and well-defined compositions should make it possible to test hypotheses concerning protein adsorption.

Adsorption isotherms on high-performance liquid chromatographic sorbents. II. Proteins on cation exchangers with silica support

Adsorption isotherms of proteins were measured by frontal chromatography in a miniaturized chromatographic system with short, narrow-bore columns. The adsorbents were microparticulate, macroporous siliceous cation exchangers, used in the high-performance liquid chromatography of proteins, and the range of mobile phase compositions was similar to that used in elution chromatography for their separation. Adsorption of protein on the wetted stainless-steel parts of the system was reduced by coating the metal surface with a hydrophilic polymer layer. The adsorption isotherms of proteins were concave down and, in most cases, well represented by the Langmuir model. However, the data could also be fitted with reasonable accuracy to the isotherm equation by Jovanović. Although the siliceous cation exchangers were of different provenance, the isotherms of the proteins were similar. Isotherms measured by the shake-flask method were found to be identical with those obtained by frontal chromatography.

Direct analytical and preparative resolution of enantiomers using albumin adsorbed to silica as a stationary phase

A rapid and simple method for the preparation of high-performance liquid chromatography columns for chiral separations is described. The stationary phase is prepared by adsorbing bovine serum albumin on silica. Both analytical and preparative applications are described. A polarimeter was used as a detector to determine the enantiomer elution orders.